Miter saw

ABSTRACT

A miter saw for cutting a workpiece is disclosed. The miter saw has a base section, a holder section, a saw blade section, a saw blade support section, and a guide bar. The base section has an upper surface for supporting a workpiece to be cut. The holder section stands from the base portion. The saw blade section has a circular saw blade for cutting the workpiece. The saw blade support section pivotably supports the saw blade section. The guide bar slidably supports the saw blade support section. The guide bar is slidably supported by the holder section. The guide bar extends substantially parallel to the upper surface of the base section. The saw blade support portion is slidable along the guide bar.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of Ser. No. 11/217,300,filed Sep. 2, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,997,177 issued Aug. 16, 2011,the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a miter saw having a circular saw bladesection which is vertically pivotable with respect to a base section andmovable in a horizontal direction.

2. Related Art

Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publications SHO 62-11526 and SHO62-200401 disclose a miter saw including a base section for mounting aworkpiece thereon, a′holder standing from the base section, a circularsaw blade section having a motor and a circular saw driven by the motor,and a support section for pivotably support the circular saw bladesection in a vertical direction. The holder supports a guide barslidably in a horizontal direction with a front end of the guide barbeing attached to the support section. The miter saw cuts the workpiecewith circular saw blade, while moving the support section together withthe guide bar with respect to the base section.

The circular saw blade section further has a transfer handle used by auser for carrying the miter saw. The user can carry the miter saw bygripping the transfer handle.

However, in the conventional miter saw described above, the guide bargenerally protrudes backward from the holder to a large extent. Theproblem arises that workability of cutting a workpiece by the abovemiter saw is not good if a wall or an obstacle exists behind the holder.

Generally, the transfer handle is provided at the position deviated fromthe center of the miter saw in its width direction. Therefore, theweight balance of the miter saw is not so good nor stable when carryingthe miter saw. This is inconvenient for the user to carry the miter saw.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A main object of the present invention is to overcome theabove-described problem and to provide a miter saw which cuts aworkpiece even in a small space.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a miter saw whichimproves the workability when a sufficient working space is allocated.

Further object of the present invention is to provide a miter saw whichcan maintain a proper weight balance during its transfer.

The present invention provides a miter saw having a base section, aholder section, a saw blade section, a saw blade support section, and aguide bar. The base section has an upper surface for supporting aworkpiece to be cut. The holder section stands from the base portion.The saw blade section includes a circular saw blade for cutting theworkpiece. The saw blade support section pivotably supports the sawblade section. The guide bar slidably supports the saw blade supportsection. The guide bar is slidably supported by the holder section. Theguide bar extends substantially parallel to the upper surface of thebase section. The saw blade support portion is slidable along the guidebar.

The present invention provides a miter saw having a base section, aholder section, a saw blade section, a saw blade support, a guide bar,and a handle. The base section has an upper surface for supporting aworkpiece to be cut. The holder section stands from the base portion.The saw blade section includes a circular saw blade for cutting theworkpiece. The a saw blade support section pivotably supports the sawblade section. The guide bar slidably supports the saw blade supportsection. The guide bar is supported by the holder section. The guide barextends substantially parallel to the upper surface of the base section.The saw blade support portion is slidable along the guide bar. Thehandle is used for carrying the miter saw. The circular saw blade has arotation shaft and a side surface. The miter saw has a width extendingin a parallel direction to the rotation shaft and a length extending ina parallel direction to the side surface. The circular saw blade ispositioned in a position in proximity to a center of the width. Theguide bar is deviated from the side surface by a predetermined distance.The handle is positioned between the circular saw blade and the guidebar in a width direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The aforementioned aspects and other features of the invention areexplained in the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing figures wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a miter saw according to a first embodiment ofthe present invention, and showing a state where the circular saw bladesection is positioned at its rearmost and its uppermost position;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the miter saw of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the miter saw according to the firstembodiment, and showing a state where the guide bars protrude to itsrearmost position;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the miter saw and particularly showing avertical orientation of a guide bar support section and the saw bladesection;

FIG. 5 is a back view of the miter saw and particularly showing avertical orientation of a guide bar support section and the saw bladesection;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the miter saw and particularly showing arightward tilting state of the guide bar support section and the sawblade section;

FIG. 7 is a front view of the miter saw and particularly showing aleftward tilting state of the guide bar support section and the sawblade section;

FIG. 8 is a partially sectional view showing a structure of the holdersupporting a guide bar;

FIG. 9 is a partially sectional view showing another structure of theholder supporting the guide bar;

FIG. 10 is a partially sectional view showing further structure of theholder supporting the guide bar;

FIG. 11 is a partially sectional view showing still further structure ofthe holder supporting the guide bar, wherein the guide bar has aplurality of mark indicating a positional relationship with respect tothe holder;

FIG. 12 is a partially sectional view showing another structure of theholder and an engaging mechanism with the guide bar;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG. 1for particularly showing a saw blade support section;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IX-IX of FIG. 1for particularly showing the saw blade section;

FIG. 15 is a side view of the miter saw, and showing a state where theholder contacts both of a back end cap of the guide bar section and thesupport segment;

FIG. 16 is a side view of the miter saw, and showing a state where theholder contacts a back end cap of the guide bar section and the supportsegment contacts a front end cap of the guide bar section;

FIG. 17 is a side view of the miter saw in a cutting state;

FIG. 18 is a side view of the miter saw according to a second embodimentof the present invention; and

FIG. 19 is a partially perspective view showing a groove formed by themiter saw of FIG. 18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A miter saw having a mechanism according to the present invention willbe described with reference to accompany drawings. Unless otherwisenoted, orientation terms, such as left, right, front, rear, up, anddown, are used with respect to the normal orientation of the miter sawfor normal use.

Referring to FIG. 1, a miter saw 1 generally includes a base section 10,a guide bar support section 20, a guide bar section 30, a saw bladesupport section 40, and a saw blade section 50. The base section 10 isadapted for mounting thereon a workpiece W to be cut. The guide barsupport section 20 extends upwardly from the base section and ispivotally supported to the base section 10 and tiltable laterally asshown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The guide bar section 30 is supported to theguide bar support section 20 and extends in a horizontal andfrontward/rearward direction. In the depicted embodiment, the guide barsection 30 is slidable with respect to the guide bar support section 20.The saw blade support section 40 is supported on the guide bar section30 and movable between its rearmost position shown in FIG. 1 and afrontmost position shown in FIG. 3. The saw blade section 50 ispivotally supported to the saw blade support section 40 and movablebetween its uppermost pivot position shown in FIG. 1 and its lowermostpivot position shown in FIG. 3.

The base section 10 includes a base 11 to be mounted on a floor or atable, and a turntable 12 rotatable on the base 11 in a horizontalplane. An upper surface of the turntable 12 is flush with an uppersurface of the base 11. The workpiece W such as a wood is mounted on thebase 11 and the turntable 12. A pair of fences 13 extends in line in alateral direction (rightward/leftward direction) and protrudes from theupper surface of the base 11 for positioning the workpiece W by abuttinga vertical surface of the workpiece W with vertical abutment surfaces 13a of the fences 13. The turntable 12 has a rearmost upstanding portion12A. A knob 14 is disposed at the front side of the turntable 12 forangularly rotating the turntable 12 about its axis and for fixing theangular rotational position of the turntable 12 relative to the base 11.At a rear portion of the turntable 12 and near the rearmost upstandingportion 12A, a through-hole 12 a extending in frontward/rearwarddirection is formed.

The guide bar support section 20 is pivotally movably supported to arear end portion of the turntable 12. Therefore, by the rotation of theturntable 12 relative to the base 11, positions of the guide bar supportsection 20, the guide bar section 30, the saw blade support section 40and the saw blade section 50 relative to the fences 13 is changed. Thus,an angle between the abutment surface 13 a and a circular side surfaceof the circular saw blade 51 is changed. Accordingly, the workpiece Wcan be cut at a desired angle relative to the frontward/rearwarddirection (angled cutting).

The guide bar support section 20 generally includes a holder shaft 21, aholder 22, and a holder fixing mechanism 70. The holder shaft 21 extendsin the frontward/rearward direction at a rear side of the turntable 12.The holder shaft 21 has an axis positioned substantially coincident withthe upper surface of the turntable 12. The holder 22 has a lower endportion pivotally movably supported on the holder shaft 21. Therefore,the holder 22 is laterally movable with respect to the turntable 12about the holder shaft 21. The holder 22 has an upper portion to whichthe guide bar section 30 is attached.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, stop portions 22A and 22B are formed atlateral end faces of the holder 22 for regulating a laterally tiltingangle of the holder 22. Further, stop bolts 15A, 158 vertically extendfrom the upper rear surface of the turntable 12 at position on a locusof the stop portions 22A, 22B. The stop bolts 15A, 15B are threaded intothe turntable 12. If the holder 22 is tilted in the lateral direction,the stop portion 22A or 22B is brought into abutment with the head ofthe stop bolt 15A or 15B, whereupon the tilting angle of the holder 22can be set. Ordinarily, the stop bolts 15A, 15B are provided tolaterally tilt the holder 22 at an angle of 45 degrees upon abutmentwith the stop portion 15A, 15B.

A pin 23 extends through the through-hole 12 a of the turntable 12 andis movable between frontmost and rearmost positions for regulating thevertical orientation of the holder 22. A stop bolt 24 horizontallyextends through the holder 22. A tip end of the stop bolt 24 ispositioned abuttable on an outer peripheral surface of the pin 23 whenthe pin 23 is positioned at its frontmost position and when the holder22 is at its vertical position. The tip end of the stop bolt 24 ispositioned offset from the outer peripheral surface of the pin 23 whenthe pin 23 is displaced to its rearmost position. The holder fixingmechanism 70 is adapted for fixing a laterally tilting angle of theholder 22. Upon fixing the pivot angle of the holder 22, the tiltingangle of the circular saw blade 51 is fixed, thereby performing slantcutting.

The turntable 12 has the rearmost upstanding portion 12A whose upper endportion is configured into an arcuate shape protruding upwardly as shownin FIG. 4, to form an engagement region 71. A holder 22 is provided witha protruding portion 72 including a horizontal section 72A protrudingrearwardly from a rear surface 22 b of the holder 22 and a verticalsection 72B extending downwardly from the horizontal section 72A. Thus,a part of the engagement region 71 is surrounded by the rear surface 22b of the holder 22 and the protruding portion 72.

The vertical section 72B has an inward slant wall surface 72 a inclinedsuch that a distance between the slant wall surface 72 a and the rearsurface of the engagement region 71 is gradually increased toward theaxis of the holder shaft 21. Further, a slider 73 is movably disposedbetween the engagement region 71 and the vertical section 72B. Theslider 73 has a rear slant wall surface complementary with the slantwall surface 72 a and in sliding contact therewith. The horizontalsection 72A is formed with a through-hole 72 b extending toward the axisof the holder shaft 21.

A clamp bolt 74 extends through the through-hole 72 b and is rotatableabout its axis. An inner diameter of the through-hole 72 b is slightlygreater than an outer diameter of the clamp bolt 74. The clamp bolt 74has a tip end threadingly engaged with the slider 73. A spring 75 isdisposed over the clamp bolt 74 and is interposed between the horizontalsection 72A and the slider 73 for normally urging the slider 73 towardthe holder shaft 21. By the rotation of the clamp bolt 74, the slider 73is moved along an axis of the clamp bolt 74.

In a state shown in FIG. 1, the pivot position of the holder 22 relativeto the turntable 12 is fixed. In this state, the slider 73 is at itsuppermost position, so that the engagement region 71 of the turntable 12is clamped between the rear surface 22 b of the holder 22 and the slider73. Thus, the holder 22 is immovable relative to the turntable 12.

For laterally tilting the saw blade section 50, the clamp bolt 74 isunfastened for releasing the holder 22. By this unclamping, the slider73 is moved downward by expansion of the spring 75 in its axialdirection. Thus, contacting force between the rear surface 22 b of theholder 22 and the engagement region 71 of the turntable 12 is weakened,so that the holder 22 is freely pivotally movable relative to theturntable 12 about the axis of the holder shaft 21. As a result, theholder 22 can be tilted rightwardly or leftwardly. Then, the clamping isagain performed while the user holds the saw blade section 50 at itsdesired pivot posture.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, the upper end portion of the holder 22 ispositioned laterally displaced from the lateral center C of the basesection 10 (FIG. 4), and is formed with a pair of bores 22 a, 22 aextending in parallel with the side surface of the circular saw blade 51as shown in FIG. 2 and in parallel with the upper surface of the base 11as shown in FIG. 3. When the holder 22 is at its vertical posture shownin FIG. 4, the pair of bores 22 a, 22 a are arrayed in a vertical plane.

The guide bar section 30 generally includes a pair of guide bars 31, 31and front and back end cap 32A and 32B. The guide bars 31 have lengthsequal to each other and shorter than a longitudinal length of theturntable 12 (the longitudinal length extends in the frontward/rearwarddirection). The guide bars 31 have a tubular shape and have a circularcross-section whose outer diameter is substantially equal to an innerdiameters of the pair of bores 22 a, 22 a. The guide bars 31 providesufficient rigidity.

The rear end of each guide bar 31 is inserted through each bore 22 a. Inorder to avoid accidental release of the guide bars 31 from the bores 22a or to avoid accidental rotation of the guide bars 31 about their axeswithin the bores 22 a, each both ends of the guide bar 31 are fixed tothe front and back end caps 32A and 32B, respectively.

To this effect, the caps 32A and 32B are formed with a pair of bores 32a, 32 a extending in parallel with each other and having inner diametersubstantially equal to the outer diameter of the guide bar 31. Further,a pair of female threads in communication with the respective bores 32 aare formed in the end caps 32A and 32B in a radial direction of theguide bar 31, and fixing bolts 34 are threadingly engaged with thecorresponding female threads, so that tip ends of the fixing bolts 34can press against the outer peripheral surfaces of the front end portionof the guide bars 31. Thus, rotation of the guide bars 31 relative tothe end caps 32A and 32B is prevented, and the front end cap 32A isfixedly secured to each front end of the guide bar 31. Thus rear endsand front ends of the guide bars 31 are fixed to the holder 22, and thefront end cap 23, respectively.

The guide bars 31 extend substantially in parallel with the side surfaceof the circular saw blade 51 as shown in FIG. 2 and substantially inparallel with the upper surface of the base 11 as shown in FIG. 3. Whenthe holder 22 is at its vertical posture shown in FIG. 4, the guide bars31 are arrayed in a vertical plane parallel to the side surface of thecircular saw blade 31. The above structure of the guide bars 31 canenhance and improve the stiffness of the guide bars 31 against the loadapplied to the guide bars 31 when the miter saw is carried.

Alternatively, the outer diameter of the guide bars 31 is slightlygreater than the inner diameters of the pair of bores 22 a, 22 a.

As shown in FIG. 8, the lower guide bar 31 is slidably supported by aball bearing 35 provided in a guide bar through-hole 36 in the upperpart of the holder 22. Alternatively, referring to FIG. 9, the guide bar31 may be slidably supported by an oil-impregnated metal 37 with respectto the holder 22.

Alternatively, referring to FIG. 10, the guide bar 31 may be inserted inthe guide bar through-hole 37 without intervening any membertherebetween and be slidably supported to the holder 22.

A knob 45 is threadingly engaged with the upper part of holder 22. Byrotating the knob 45, the tip end of the knob 45 is pressed against theouter surface of the guide bar 31 so that the movement of the guide bar31 relative to the holder 22 is restricted.

As shown in FIG. 11, a scale or marks can be formed on the upper guidebar 31. In this case, this scale can indicate a sliding amount of theguide bar 31 with respect to the holder 22.

Referring to FIG. 12, an engaging mechanism 80 to engage the guide bar31 to the holder 22 is provided. One of the guide bars 31 has aplurality of through-holes 81 formed at predetermined intervals in alongitudinal direction. A stopper pin 82 is slidably inserted through anside surface of the guide bar 31 in an orthogonal direction to thesliding direction of the guide bar 31. The stopper pin 82 is urgedagainst the guide bar 31 by a spring 83 provided in the holder 22. Thetip end 82 a of the stopper pin 82 is selectively engaged with one ofthe plurality of through-holes 81, so that the guide bar 31 is latchedwith the holder 22. Thus, the sliding amount of the guide bar 31 withrespect to the holder 22 can be adjusted stepwisely.

When the stopper pin 82 is pulled out from the stat shown in FIG. 12against the elastic force of the spring 83, the tip end of the stopperpin 82 is released from the through-hole 81 of the guide bar 31.Accordingly, the guide bar 31 is freely slidable with respect to theholder 22. In this embodiment, a pin 84 is inserted through and fixed tothe stopper pin 82 in an orthogonal direction to the longitudinaldirection of the stopper pin 82. The pin 84 is slidable in a guide slot85 formed in the holder 22. When the stopper pin 82 is pulled out fromthe state shown in FIG. 12 and rotated about its axis by 90 degrees, thestopper pin 82 is engaged into a slot 86 formed on the holder 22.Accordingly, the tip end 82 a of the stopper pin 82 is retrieved fromthe bore 22 a of the holder 22. Therefore, the retrieved stopper pin 82does not prevent the guide bar 31 from sliding with respect to theholder 22.

The saw blade support section 40 is adapted to pivotally movably supportthe saw blade section 50, and is movable relative to the guide bars 31between a rearmost position defined by the holder 22 and a frontmostposition defined by the front end cap 32A. Further, the saw bladesupport section 40 can be selectively fixed to the guide bars 31.

The saw blade support section 40 includes a support segment 41 slidablymovable between the holder 22 and the front end cap 32A. The saw bladesection 50 is movably supported on the support segment 41. Morespecifically, as shown in FIG. 13, the support segment 41 is formed withan upper bore 41 a and a lower bore 41 b through which the upper guidebar 31 and the lower guide bar 31 extend, respectively. The upper bore41 a is substantially concentric with the upper guide bar 31 and has aninner diameter greater than the outer diameter of the upper guide bar31. The lower bore 41 b is substantially concentric with the lower guidebar 31 and has an inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of thelower guide bar 31.

A ball bearing 42 is disposed in the lower bore 41 b. The ball bearing42 has an inner diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter ofthe lower guide bar 31, and has an outer peripheral surface in slidingcontact with the lower bore 41 b. The lower bore 41 b has an axiallength approximately equal to an axial length of the ball bearing 42.This axial length is the minimum length for maintaining sufficientsliding performance of the support segment 41 relative to the guide bars31. It should be noted that the lower guide bar 31 can be supported inthe lower bore 41 b by an oil-impregnated metal as shown in FIG. 10instead of the ball bearing 42.

Two sliding segments 43 a, 43 b are disposed in the upper bore 41 a andin sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the upper guidebar 31. Bolts 44 a, 44 b extend in radial direction of the upper guidebar 31 and are threadingly engaged with the support segment 41. Thebolts 44 a, 44 b have inner ends supporting the sliding segments 43 a,43 b. Thus, the sliding segments 43 a, 43 b are movable in the radialdirection of the upper guide bar 31 by the axial movement of the bolts44 a, 44 b caused by the threading engagement. A knob 49 is threadinglyengaged with the support segment 41 and is engageable with the upperguide bar 31. By fastening the knob 49, the tip end of the knob 45 ispressed against the outer surface of the guide bar 31, so that themovement of the support segment 41 relative to the upper guide bar 31can be stopped.

In FIG. 13, by controlling the axial positions of the bolts 44 a and 44b caused by the threading advancement or retraction thereof, thepositions of the two sliding segments 43 a, 43 b can be changed. Thus,relative position between the support segment 41 and the upper guide bar31 can be changed. That is, a minute pivotal movement of the supportsegment 41 about an axis of the lower guide bar 31 can be performed. Tobe more specific, by moving the two sliding segments 43 a, 43 bleftwardly, the left end of the upper guide bore 31 is moved toward theupper bore 41 a, i.e., the support segment 41 is pivotally and finelymoved in a clockwise direction in FIG. 13 about the axis of the lowerguide bar 31. Consequently, the saw blade section 50 and its circularsaw blade 51 are also povitally moved about the axis of the lower guidebar 31. Thus, an angle of a side surface of the circular saw blade 51relative to the upper surface of the base 11 can be finely controlled.

The rearmost position of the saw blade support section 40 is defined bythe abutment of the support segment 41 onto the holder 22, and thefrontmost position of the saw blade support section 40 is defined by theabutment of the support segment 41 onto the front end cap 32A. Moreover,the disengagement of the support segment 41 from the guide bars 31 canbe prevented by the front end cap 32A. Incidentally, since only thesupport segment 41 supporting the saw blade section 50 is slidinglymoved on the guide bars 31, only a small amount of load is imparted onthe ball bearing 42 in a direction perpendicular to the slidingdirection. Further, the load is constant regardless of the slidingposition of the support segment 41 relative to the guide bars 31.Accordingly, a compact ball bearing 42 is available.

As shown in FIG. 13, a pivot shaft 46 laterally extends through thesupport segment 41 in a direction perpendicular to the axial directionof the guide bars 31. The saw blade section 50 is pivotally movableabout an axis of the pivot shaft 46. A recess 41 c is formed in thesupport segment 41 at a position below the pivot shaft 46. A laseroscillator 47 is disposed in the recess 41 c. The laser oscillator 47 ismovable within the recess 41 c at least in the axial direction of thecircular saw blade 51, so that the laser beam can extends along the sidesurface of the circular saw blade 51. Thus, a cutting line which is anextension of the side surface can be irradiated onto the workpiece W tobe cut. This facilitates recognition of the position of the circular sawblade 51 prior to cutting, thereby enhancing operability.

Within the recess 41 c, a spring 48 is disposed. The spring 48 isdisposed over the pivot shaft 46 and has one end acting on the supportsegment 41 and another end acting on the saw blade section 50 fornormally urging the saw blade section 50 to pivotally move away from theupper surface of the base 11 about the axis of the pivot shaft 46. Astop mechanism (not shown) is provided for maintaining the saw bladesection 50 at its uppermost position during non-operating state. For thecutting operation, the saw blade section 50 is pivotally moveddownwardly against the biasing force of the spring 48.

As described above, when the guide bars 31 are fixed to the holder 22 byknob 45, the guide bars 31 are not protrudingly moved rearwardly fromthe holder 22 during cutting, and the holder 22 does not move away fromthe base section 10 in frontward/rearward direction during cutting.Therefore, entire miter saw 1 becomes compact even during cuttingoperation. Thus, cutting work can be performed in a narrow space. Inother words, it is unnecessary to provide a surplus space between anambient wall and the rearmost end of the miter saw 1.

Referring to FIG. 14, the saw blade section 50 includes a gear case 52pivotally movably supported to the support segment 41 through the pivotshaft 46. A saw blade cover 53 is provided integrally with the gear case52 for covering an upper half of the circular saw blade 51.

A saw blade shaft 57 is rotatably supported on the gear case 52. Thecircular saw blade 51 is coaxially mounted on the saw blade shaft 57. Asafety cover 58 is pivotally supported to the gear cover 52 forprotectively covering a portion of the circular saw blade 51 projectingout of the saw blade cover 53. The safety cover 58 is adapted to coverthe projecting out portion of the circular saw blade 51 when the sawblade section 50 is at the upper pivot position shown in FIG. 1, and toexpose the projecting out portion to the atmosphere when the saw bladesection 50 is at the lower pivot position shown in FIG. 3. To thiseffect, a link mechanism (not shown) is provided for pivotallyretracting the safety cover 58 into the saw blade cover 53.

A motor housing 59 is fixed to the gear cover 52. The motor housing 59houses therein the motor 56 which has a motor shaft 60 extending inparallel with the saw blade shaft 57 and supported rotatably on the gearcase 52. The motor 56 is positioned such that an imaginary planecontaining the side surface of the circular saw blade 51 intersects apart of the motor 56. Further, a handle 54 is provided integrally withthe motor housing 59 (See FIG. 1). The handle 54 is located on animaginary plane containing the side surface of the circular saw blade51. With this arrangement, reaction force imparted on the saw bladesection 50 through the circular saw blade 51 during cutting can beproperly received by the handle 54. In other words, reaction force fromthe circular saw blade 51 is linearly transmitted to the handle 54without any deviation. A switch 55 is provided to the handle 54 fordriving a motor 56, as shown in FIG. 1.

A sub-handle 67 as a transfer handle is provided integrally with themotor housing 59 (See FIG. 1). The sub-handle 67 extends in a directionparallel with the guide bars 31 when the saw blade section 50 ispivotally moved to its most downward position as shown in FIG. 3. Asshown in FIG. 2, the sub-handle 67 is deviated away from the center lineL including the lateral center C, which is aligned with the center ofthe cutting width of the circular saw blade 51. In other words, thesub-handle 67 is positioned between the side surface of the circular sawblade 51 and the guide bars 31, when viewed from above.

Referring to FIG. 14 again, a power transmission mechanism is providedin the gear case 52 for transmitting the rotation of the motor shaft 60to the saw blade shaft 57. The transmission mechanism includes a motorshaft pulley 61, an intermediate shaft 62, an intermediate shaft pulley63, an endless belt 64, a pinion 62 a, and a gear 65. The motor shaftpulley 61 is fixed to a tip end of the motor shaft 60 at which a fan isfixed. The intermediate shaft 62 is positioned close to and in parallelwith the saw blade shaft 57 and is rotatably supported on the gear case52. The intermediate shaft pulley 63 is integrally rotatable with theintermediate shaft 62 and is disposed at a side opposite to the circularsaw blade 51. The endless belt 64 is mounted on the motor shaft pulley61 and the intermediate shaft pulley 63.

The pinion 62 a is formed at an outer peripheral surface of theintermediate shaft 62 and at a side opposite to the intermediate shaftpulley 63. The pinion 62 a is positioned closest to the circular sawblade 51 among the components on the intermediate shaft 62. The gear 65is force-fitted with the saw blade shaft 57. As a result, the gear 65 isrotatable together with the rotation of the saw blade shaft 57 and inalignment with the pinion 62 a for meshing engagement therewith.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 13, the upper and lower guide bars 31, 31 arearrayed in a direction parallel with the side surface of the circularsaw blade 51. That is, an imaginary line L1 connecting axes of the upperand lower guide bars 31,31 extends substantially in parallel with theside surface of the circular saw blade 51. With this arrangement,rigidity of the sliding segments 43 a, 43 b and rigidity of the bores 22a of the holder 22 can be maintained when the saw blade section 50 ispivotally moved downwardly and when the miter saw 1 is hand-carriedwhile gripping the sub-handle 67.

The saw blade support section 40 is provided with a fixing arrangement(not shown) for fixing the lowermost pivot posture of the saw bladesection 50 relative to the support segment 41.

By using the above fixing arrangement, the lowermost pivot posture ofthe saw blade section 50 is fixed. Simultaneously, the guide bar supportsection 20 is maintained at its vertical position with respect to thebase section 10, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In addition, as shown inFIG. 15, the guide bars 31 are moved frontward until the back end cap32B contacts the holder 22. Then, the guide bar 31 is fixed to theholder 22 by clamping the knob 45. On the other hand, the saw bladesupport section 40 supporting the saw blade section 50 is moved rearwardalong the guide bars 31 until the saw blade support section 40 contactsthe holder 22. Then, the saw support section 40 is fixed to the guidebars 31 by clamping the knob 49. Accordingly, the user can carry themiter saw 1 by gripping the sub-handle 67. In this state, the sub-handle67 is located at the position in proximity to the barycenter of themiter saw 1 in the longitudinal direction thereof.

In this condition of the miter saw 1, the saw blade section 50 having aconsiderable weight is positioned in a substantially center of the mitersaw 1 in the frontward/rearward direction (the longitudinal directionthereof), as shown in FIG. 2. In addition, the sub-handle 67 ispositioned in a substantially center position between the circular sawblade 51 on the center line L and the guide bars 31 deviated from thecenter line in the width direction of the miter saw 1. In other words,the sub-handle 67 is positioned in proximity to the barycenter of themiter saw 1 in the width direction thereof.

As described above, the weight balance of the miter saw 1 in thefrontward/rearward direction and the width direction is readilymaintained when the miter saw 1 is carried. During the transportation ofthe miter saw 1, the miter saw 1 can be readily and stably carriedwithout tilting toward leftward/rightward direction.

Further, when the lowermost pivot posture of the saw blade section 50 isfixed and maintained by the fixing arrangement, a handle portion of thesub-handle 67 is maintained parallel to the horizontal direction. Due tothis structure, it is easy for the user to carry the miter saw 1.

As described above, the weight balance is readily achieved with respectto the frontward/rearward and width directions when the miter saw 1 iscarried by gripping the sub-handle 67. Accordingly, the miter saw 1 canbe readily carried in a substantially horizontal position withoutinclining the miter saw 1 to a large extent.

The next description will be made for explaining the operation of themiter saw 1.

For cutting a wooden workpiece W having a narrow width as shown in FIG.1, the guide bars 31 are first moved frontward until the back end cap32B contacts the holder 22. The guide bars 31 are fixed to the holder 22by clamping the knob 45. Next, the saw blade support section 40 is movedrearward along the guide bars 31 until the saw blade support section 40contacts the holder 22. The saw blade support section 40 is fixed to theguide bars 31 by clamping knob 49. At this time, the holder 22 ismaintained at its vertical position with respect to the base section 10as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

Next, the motor 56 is energized upon pressing the switch 55 for rotatingthe motor shaft 60, whereupon the circular saw blade 51 is rotatedthrough the pulley 52, the transmission belt 64, the intermediate shaftpulley 63 and the saw blade shaft 57. While maintaining this state, anoperator grips the handle 54 and pushes the saw blade section 50downwardly against the biasing force of the spring 48. The circular sawblade 51 is cutting a cutting line on the workpiece W irradiated by alaser beam from the laser oscillator 47, and entering into a groove (notshown) formed on the turntable 12. Then, the movement of the circularsaw blade 51 into the groove is restrained by a stopper mechanism (notshown) after the depth of the circular saw blade 51 in the groovereaches a predetermined distance. Thus, the workpiece W can be cut. Ifcutting to the workpiece W is completed, the operator pulls up thehandle 54, so that the saw blade section 50 can restore its originaluppermost position by the biasing force of the spring 48.

For performing a vertical cutting in which the side surface of thecircular saw blade 51 extends vertically, the clamp lever 71 isunfastened and the pin 23 is displaced frontwardly. Then, the holder 22is pivotally moved toward its vertical posture. As a result, the pin 23abuts the stop bolt 24 whereupon the vertical orientation of thecircular saw blade 51 is established. Then, the clamp lever 71 isfastened in the above-described manner.

In order to cut the workpiece W in a slanting direction with respect toits longitudinal direction, the knob 14 is first rotated to release therotational lock of the turntable 12 with respect to the base 11. Theturntable 12 is rotated with respect to the base 11 in a horizontalplane by a predetermined amount of angle by means of the knob 14, whilemaintaining the holder 22 at its vertical position. Accordingly, theguide bar support section 20, the guide bar section 30, the saw bladesupport section 40, and the saw blade section 50 are rotated integrallywith the turntable 12, so that an angle of the side surface of thecircular saw blade 51 with respect to the workpiece W is changed. Then,the workpiece can be cut in the slanting direction when viewed fromabove, by operating the miter saw 1 in the above-described manner.

In order to cut the workpiece W from an angle inclined from the verticaldirection, the holder 22 is first unclamped with respect to the base 11by releasing the clamp bolt 74. Then the holder 22 is tilted withrespect to the base 11 in the lateral direction as shown in FIGS. 6 and7. The clamp bolt 74 is clamped again so that the holder is fixed to thebase 11 at a desired angle from the vertical direction. For example, theholder 22 is inclined at angle of 45 degrees when the stop portion 22Aor 22B is brought into abutment with the head of the stop bolt 15A or15B. Accordingly, the circular saw blade 51 is inclined from thevertical direction by the same angle as that of the holder 22.Therefore, the miter saw 1 can cut the workpiece W from the inclineddirection set by the guide bar support section 20.

As described above, the workpiece W is cut by the miter saw 1 while theguide bars being positioned frontward with respect to the holder 22. Inthis condition, the guide bars do not protrude rearward from the holder22. With this structure of the miter saw 1, the cutting operation by themiter saw 1 can be performed even in the small working area resultingfrom a wall and/or an obstacle behind the holder 22.

On the other hand, if there is no wall or obstacle behind the holder 22,the guide bars 31 can be slid rearward until the saw blade supportsection 40 contacts the holder 22, as shown in FIG. 3. In other words,the guide bars 31 are protruded from the holder 22 to a large extent. Inthis case, the cutting operation can be performed without payingconsiderable attention to the guide bars 31. Therefore, the operabilityof the miter saw 1 can be improved if a sufficient working area isprepared.

The next description will be made for explaining the cutting anelongated workpiece W. When there is an obstacle such as a wall and anobject, the guide bars 31 are moved frontward until the back end cap 32Bcontacts the holder 22, as shown in FIG. 1. The guide bars 31 are fixedto the holder 22 by the knob 45. Then, the saw blade support section 40is released from the guide bars 31 by unclamping the knob 49. Next, thesaw blade section 50 is moved frontward along the guide bars 31, asshown in FIG. 16. The handle 54 is pressed downward and rotated aboutpivot shaft 46 against the elastic force of the spring 48, whilerotating the circular saw blade 51. Then, the saw blade section 50 ismoved rearward along the guide bars 31 to the position shown in FIG. 1by pushing the handle 54. At this time, the workpiece W is cut, becausethe circular saw blade 51 moves along the line on the workpiece Wirradiated by the laser beam L from the laser oscillator 47. Theworkpiece is cut from the vertical direction.

Thus, for cutting the workpiece having an elongated length in thefrontward/rearward direction, the support segment 41 carrying the sawblade section 50 is provisionally moved to its frontmost position alongthe guide bars 31. Then, after the saw blade section 50 is pivoteddownwardly, the saw blade section 50 is moved rearwardly along the guidebars 31 while claming the downward pivot position by the stop mechanism.In this case, the knob 45 is released.

A workpiece having a wide area can be subjected to angled cutting andslant cutting as well as the above-described vertical cutting by movingthe saw blade section 50 in the frontward/rearward direction. The angledcutting implies that the cutting line on the workpiece W is slanted withrespect to the frontward/rearward direction. This angled cutting isachievable by angularly rotating the turntable 12 to change thegeometrical relationship between the fences 13 and the side surface ofthe circular saw blade 51. The slant cutting implies that the cuttingline in a thickness direction of the workpiece is slanted by controllingthe pivot angle of the holder 22 relative to the turntable 12. To thiseffect, the knob 45 is loosened for facilitating sliding movement of thesupport segment 41 relative to the guide bars 31. In this way, compositecutting is achievable including vertical cutting, angled cutting andslant cutting.

As described above, the cutting operation can be performed, while movingthe saw blade support section 40 along the guide bars 31, when the guidebars 31 protrude frontward from the holder 22. In this case, the guidebars 31 do not protrude rearward from the holder 22. Accordingly, thecutting operation can be performed even in a small work space which isrestricted by a wall and/or an object behind the holder 21.

In the above embodiment, the knob 45 is provided in order to fix theguide bars 31 to the holder 22. In another embodiment, a slideresistance value of the guide bars 31 relative to the holder 22 can beset larger than the slide resistance value of the support segment 41relative to the guide bars 31. In this case, the knob 45 can beeliminated. This is because the guide bars 31 can be slid with respectto the holder 22, only when a larger force than a predetermined value isacted to the guide bars 31. And, the guide bars 31 does not slide withrespect to the holder 22 when the support segment 41 slides along theguide bars 31. Accordingly, this structure avoids the guide bars 31 fromunintentionally sliding with respect to the holder 22 during the cuttingoperation.

The support segment 41 is slidably supported through the ball bearing 42by the guide bars 31. Accordingly, the saw blade support section 40supporting the saw blade section 50 can be moved and slid smoothly alongthe guide bars 31 by the action of a smaller force. As a result, theoperability of the cutting operation can be improved. Deformation of thebores 41 a and 41 b can be avoided.

When a kind of obstacle such as a wall and/or an object does not existbehind the holder 22, the support segment 41 is first fixed to the frontportion of the guide bars 31 by clamping the knob 49, as shown in FIG.3. And the clamp of the guide bars 31 to the holder 22 is released. Thesupport segment 41 is moved rearward together with the guide bars 31with respect to the holder 22, while maintaining the circular saw blade51 at the lowermost pivotal position with the handle 54, until thesupport segment 41 contacts the holder 22. As a result, the guide bars31 can be protruded behind from the holder 22. From this state, if thecircular saw blade 51 is moved frontward along the holder 22 by means ofthe handle 54 together with the guide bars 31 as shown in FIG. 17, anelongated workpiece W can be cut from the vertical direction by therotating circular saw blade 51 along the laser light on the workpieceirradiated by the laser oscillator 47. In this case, composite cuttingis achievable including vertical cutting, angled cutting, and slantcutting. It should be noted that the circular saw blade 51 cuts theportion which has irradiated by the laser light without interfering withthe laser light, because the laser light is interrupted by the saw bladecover 53 during the cutting operation of the circular saw blade 51.

As described above, after protruding the guide bars 31 behind from theholder 22 to a large extent, the cutting operation can be performed,while moving the circular saw blade 51 and the support segment 41together with the guide bars 31. In this case, the user does not have topay a considerable attention to the guide bars 31 when cutting theworkpiece W. Accordingly, the workability for cutting a workpiece W canbe improved if a sufficient space is prepared for the cutting operation.

In the above embodiment, the guide bars 31 have lengths shorter than thelongitudinal length of the base section 10. Therefore, the guide bars 31do not protrude forward from the base section 10 in the longitudinaldirection of the miter saw 1, even during the cutting operation in thesmall space. Accordingly, the working area required for the miter saw 1to cut the workpiece W can be reduced. In other words, even in a smallworking area, the cutting operation by the miter saw 1 becomes possible.In addition, the longitudinal size of the miter saw 1 can be minimizedwhen the miter saw 1 is carried. These arrangement contributes to theoperability of the miter saw 1 during its transportation.

In the above embodiment, two guide bars 31 are provided. Two front endsof the guide bars 31 are joined with the front end cap 32A and two rearends of the guide bars 31 are joined with the back end cap 32B. Thisstructure of guide bars 31 enhances and improves supporting ability ofthe guide bars 31 to the holder 22, and contributes to the supportingability of the support segment 41 to the guide bars 31. Therefore, thesliding ability of the guide bars 31 along the holder 22 and the slidingability of the support segment 41 along the guide bars 31 are enhancedand improved. In addition, the end caps 32A and 32B can readily preventthe guide bars 31 from releasing from the holder 22.

In addition, the guide bars 31, 31 are arrayed in a directionsubstantially parallel with the side surface of the circular saw blade51, when the holder 22 is at the vertical position. This arrangementcontributes to the rigidity against the load of the guide bars 31exerted when the miter saw 1 is carried.

In the above embodiment, the ball bearings 35 and 42 or theoil-impregnated metal 25 are provided in the bores 22 a of the holder 22and the bore 41 b of the support segment 41 to suppress the slideresistance of the guide bars 31 relative to the holder 22 and the slideresistance of the support segment 41 relative to the guide bars 31. Thisstructure contributes to the sliding ability of the guide bars 31 andthe support segment 41. If a member having a small slide resistance isused instead of the ball bearings 35 and 42, the user can select one oftwo operations for the cutting operation: the user slides the supportsegment 41 with respect to the guide bars 31, or the user slides theguide bars 31 with respect to the holder 22. These options can improvethe workability.

The next description will be made for explaining the second embodimentof the present invention. In this embodiment, the identical elements tothose shown in FIG. 1 are assigned the same numeral as those of FIG. 1,and their detailed explanation will be omitted.

A miter saw 100 of this embodiment can provide a groove on the workpieceWA. Referring to FIG. 18, the miter saw 100 includes a stopper unit 151mounted between the saw blade support section 40 and the saw bladesection 50 for restricting the pivotal movement of the saw blade section50 about the saw blade shaft 57.

The stopping unit 151 has a block member 152 formed integrally on theside of the support segment 41, and a knot bolt 153 provided on the sideof the saw blade section 50. A support arm 155 is rotatably mounted onthe saw blade section 50 about a bolt 154. The knob bolt 153 isthreadingly engaged with the support arm 155 in a vertical direction.Depending on the angular position of the knob bolt 153, a tip end of theshaft of the knob bolt 153 is capable of being contact with the uppersurface of the block member 152 to restrict the downward pivotalmovement of the saw blade section 50.

As shown in FIG. 18, when pressing down the handle 54 to pivotably movethe saw blade section 50 downward, the tip end of the shaft of the knobbolt 153 comes into contact with the upper surface of the block member152 to prevent the saw blade section 50 from pivotably moving downwardany more. Accordingly, the lowest end of the circular saw blade 51 isstopped and positioned at a predetermined height from the upper surfaceof the base 11. After that, when the saw blade section 50 is movedfrontward along the holder 22 together with the saw blade supportsection 40 and the guide bar section 30 while holding the handle 54, therotating circular saw blade 51 forms a groove W1′ having a depth of “h”on the workpiece WA, as shown in FIG. 19. In this case, the pivotalamount of the saw blade section 10 (the circular saw blade 51) isadjusted by rotating the knob bolt 153 and retracting or pulling theshaft of the knob bolt 153 with respect to the support arm 155. Thus,the depth h of the groove 1′ formed on the workpiece WA is adjustable.

In this embodiment, when the knob bolt 153 is retracted from the uppersurface of the block member 152 and not contact therewith, differentcutting is achievable including vertical cutting, angled cutting, andslant cutting, as similar to the first embodiment.

While the invention has been described in detail with reference tospecific embodiments thereof, it would be apparent to those skilled inthe art that various changes and modifications may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Forexample, the numbers of the guide bars 31 is not limited to two, but oneor three guide bars can be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the saw blade section 50 canbe pivotally moved rightward and leftward. However, a saw blade sectionpivotable only leftward or only rightward is also available.

Further, in the above-described embodiments, the guide bar section 30 isprovided on the right side of the circular saw blade 51. However, theguide bar section can be positioned on the left side of the circular sawblade 51. Further, the turntable 12 can be dispensed with in the basesection.

What is claimed is:
 1. A miter saw, comprising: a base section having anupper surface for supporting a workpiece to be cut; a holder sectionstanding from the base portion; a saw blade section comprising acircular saw blade for cutting the workpiece, the saw blade sectionbeing pivotally movable between an uppermost position and a lowermostposition; a saw blade support section for pivotably supporting the sawblade section; a guide bar for supporting the saw blade support section,the guide bar being supported by the holder section, the guide barextending substantially parallel to the upper surface of the basesection; a first handle for pivoting the saw blade section, the firsthandle being located in an imaginary plane containing a side surface ofthe saw blade; and a second handle used for carrying the miter saw, thesecond handle comprising a grip portion to be gripped, the grip portionbeing maintained in a horizontal direction when the saw blade section ispositioned at the lowermost position; wherein the saw blade supportsection is slidable along the guide bar, wherein the circular saw bladehas a rotation shaft and the side surface, the miter saw has a widthextending in a parallel direction to the rotation shaft and a lengthextending in a parallel direction to the side surface, the circular sawblade is positioned in a position in proximity to a center of the width,the guide bar is deviated in the width direction from the side surfaceby a predetermined distance, and the second handle is positioned away inthe width direction from the imaginary plane in which the first handleis located, and the second handle is positioned between the circular sawblade and the guide bar in the width direction.
 2. The miter saw asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the second handle is positioned in proximityto a center of the miter saw when the saw blade section is moved to arearmost position along the guide bar.
 3. The miter saw as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the guide bar includes: a first guide bar having afirst longitudinal center axis; and a second guide bar having a secondlongitudinal center axis, the first and second guide bars defining aplane including the first and second longitudinal axes, wherein theplane is positioned parallel to the side surface of the circular sawblade.
 4. The miter saw as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guide bar hasa length shorter than a longitudinal length of the base section.
 5. Themiter saw as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guide bar is slidable withrespect to the holder section.
 6. The miter saw as claimed in claim 1,wherein the saw blade section further comprises a motor for rotating thecircular saw blade, the second handle being positioned between the motorand the holder section in an extending direction of the guide bar.
 7. Amiter saw, comprising: a base section having an upper surface forsupporting a workpiece to be cut; a holder section standing from thebase portion; a saw blade section comprising a circular saw blade forcutting the workpiece, the saw blade section being pivotally movablebetween an uppermost position and a lowermost position; a saw bladesupport section for pivotably supporting the saw blade section; a guidebar for slidably supporting the saw blade support section, the guide barbeing supported by the holder section, the guide bar extendingsubstantially parallel to the upper surface of the base section, and thesaw blade support section being slidable along the guide bar; a handleused for carrying the miter saw, the handle comprising a grip portion tobe gripped, the grip portion being maintained, in a horizontal directionwhen the saw blade section is positioned at the lowermost position;wherein the circular saw blade has a rotation shaft and a side surface,the miter saw has a width extending in a parallel direction to therotation shaft and a length extending in a parallel direction to theside surface, the circular saw blade is positioned in a position inproximity to a center of the width, the guide bar is deviated in thewidth direction from the side surface by a predetermined distance, andthe handle is spaced in the width direction from the circular saw bladeand is positioned between the circular saw blade and the guide bar inthe width direction; wherein the guide bar includes: a first guide barhaving a first longitudinal center axis; and a second guide bar having asecond longitudinal center axis, the first and second guide barsdefining a plane including the first and second longitudinal axes,wherein the plane is positioned parallel to the side surface of thecircular saw blade.
 8. The miter saw as claimed in claim 7, wherein thesaw blade section further comprises a motor for rotating the circularsaw blade, the handle being positioned between the motor and the holdersection in an extending direction of the guide bar.
 9. A miter saw,comprising: a base section having an upper surface for supporting aworkpiece to be cut; a holder section standing from the base portion; asaw blade section comprising a circular saw blade for cutting theworkpiece, the saw blade section being pivotally movable between anuppermost position and a lowermost position; a saw blade support sectionfor pivotably supporting the saw blade section; a guide bar forsupporting the saw blade support section, the guide bar being supportedby the holder section, the guide bar extending substantially parallel tothe upper surface of the base section, the saw blade support sectionbeing slidable along the guide bar in order to change a relativeposition thereof with respect to the guide bar; a first handle forpivoting the saw blade section; and a second handle used for carryingthe miter saw, the second handle comprising a grip portion to begripped, the grip portion being maintained in a horizontal directionwhen the saw blade section is positioned at the lowermost position;wherein the saw blade support section is slidable along the guide bar,wherein the circular saw blade has a rotation shaft and a side surface,the miter saw has a width extending in a parallel direction to therotation shaft and a length extending in a parallel direction to theside surface, the circular saw blade is positioned in a position inproximity to a center of the width, the guide bar is deviated in thewidth direction from the side surface by a predetermined distance, andthe second handle is spaced in the width direction from the circular sawblade and is positioned between the circular saw blade and the guide barin the width direction.
 10. The miter saw as claimed in claim 9, whereinthe second handle is positioned in proximity to a center of the mitersaw when the saw blade section is moved to a rearmost position along theguide bar.
 11. The miter saw as claimed in claim 9, wherein the guidebar includes: a first guide bar having a first longitudinal center axis;and a second guide bar having a second longitudinal center axis, thefirst and second guide bars defining a plane including the first andsecond longitudinal axes, wherein the plane is positioned parallel tothe side surface of the circular saw blade.
 12. The miter saw as claimedin claim 9, wherein the guide bar has a length shorter than alongitudinal length of the base section.
 13. The miter saw as claimed inclaim 9, wherein the guide bar is slidable with respect to the holdersection.
 14. The miter saw as claimed in claim 9, wherein the saw bladesection further comprises a motor for rotating the circular saw blade,the second handle being positioned between the motor and the holdersection in an extending direction of the guide bar.
 15. A miter saw,comprising: a base section having an upper surface for supporting aworkpiece to be cut; a holder section standing from the base portion; asaw blade section comprising a circular saw blade for cutting theworkpiece, the saw blade section being pivotally movable between anuppermost position and a lowermost position; a saw blade support sectionfor pivotably supporting the saw blade section; a guide bar for slidablysupporting the saw blade support section, the guide bar being supportedby the holder section, the guide bar extending substantially parallel tothe upper surface of the base section, and the saw blade support sectionbeing slidable along the guide bar in order to change a relativeposition thereof with respect to the guide bar; and a handle used forcarrying the miter saw, the handle comprising a grip portion to begripped, the grip portion being maintained in a horizontal directionwhen the saw blade section is positioned at the lowermost position;wherein the circular saw blade has a rotation shaft and a side surface,the miter saw has a width extending in a parallel direction to therotation shaft and a length extending in a parallel direction to theside surface, the circular saw blade is positioned in a position inproximity to a center of the width, the guide bar is deviated from theside surface by a predetermined distance, and the handle is spaced inthe width direction from the circular saw blade and is positionedbetween the circular saw blade and the guide bar in the width direction.16. The miter saw as claimed in claim 15, wherein the saw blade sectionfurther comprises a motor for rotating the circular saw blade, thehandle being positioned between the motor and the holder section in anextending direction of the guide bar.